Sagaponack Says It Will Try To Force Sale Of Bridge Via Eminent Domain
“Bridge Lane in Sagaponack Village will be open to traffic for most of summer, at least, as officials from the village and Southampton Town continue to wrestle over how to make repairs to the small bridge that spans the waters of Sagg Pond.
The village has tried a variety of avenues to head off the project, including offering to take over the maintenance of the bridge itself, and Mayor Donald Louchheim last week penned a letter to the town on behalf of the Village Board informing the town that the village is investigating the possibility of exercising the municipal right of eminent domain to force the town to sell the bridge to the village at fair market value. The village would then undertake the nearly $1 million in repairs itself, with its own design.
Meanwhile, the village also has asked Town Board members to hold off on moving forward with the planned renovations to the bridge while the town’s Landmarks & Historic Districts Board seeks to have the 90-foot span evaluated as a possible historic structure, which could preclude some design changes to the bridge planned in the renovation blueprints.”
Wright, Michael. 27 East.com 28 May 2014.